Why is it so hard to give Jeep folks money?

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TJ Guru

We have a semi-local Jeep Salvage yard, two in fact. One is well known on FB for have lots of parts and parts out rigs quite often. All the locals were recommending him so we started trying to use him as a resource.
I try to buy a full center console, he does not have. Fine, I'm sorta local, put me on the list for the next one you get. He says no problem.
We do a trans swap for a guy. He has to supply the parts and wants to know where to get them. We send him to the guy, guy has parts, client pays guy for parts. We get to the point where I either have to use my parts or we are dead in the water since the other parts haven't shown up. I opt to use mine after clearing with client that he has to replace them and he agrees.
Client has no good response from Salvage Guy and finally makes arrangements to drive and meet him at Offroad Expo because Salvage Guy has been driving around for 2 weeks with parts in the back of his truck.
Parts are wrong, try again. Parts come in wrong again, client now has to go elsewhere for parts and it takes two months for him to replace my parts.
Doing another trans swap, need harnesses. Salvage guy says he has. Wants full payment which we do.
I send helper out on weekend to pick up harnesses, they aren't even pulled yet and I pay helper to stand around for 2 hours waiting to get the harnesses.
Salvage guy posts up another part out with a good console. I ask about and am told I can buy it. Great, I send him another message that is a continuation of the string where I asked to be put on the list, get a quote, an invoice, and I pay it immediately.

That was the day before Christmas. Yesterday, I hop back into the message system with the following missive. Salvage Guy, I do not have the stuff I paid for yet. That needs to change soon.
I get this response-

Blaine it the first week of the year and we are a bit backed up but so we havent sent it but that does mean you can be rude in that manner.
Not sure why you think talking to me that way is ok....did you pay by card?

I explain in a very pointed manner the stuff from above and get this-

Blaine i have aday job on top of this and most know it. That harness thing is because i dont pull parts until I have a deposit or someone is there because people flake. Tell you what. I won't trouble you any longer with my delayed shipping. I'll refund you money on the console and i apologize for the delay. Jeep parts depot will be please to provide a better service than me.

WTF? I don't give a crap about his day job. I don't care about his problems. What I care about is he is selling stuff without a disclaimer that it is a side job that he will take care of when he gets around to it. Without that, the rest is bullshit. I don't have my refund either.
It gets better though. The other local yard mentioned above provided an AW-4 that after installation, poured fluid out around the snout on the converter. It was sold as known good. We called him about it and he basically told us to pound sand. Alright, I waited until the next time he posted one for sale and simply stated that anyone interested needs to personally verify condition so they don't wind up with one that has to be pulled and rebuilt like the one we got. Now he's all butthurt and wants to talk about it.

Administrator

I know who you're talking about. He had (or maybe still has) a factory khaki colored tailgate. He told me $250 shipped I believe it was, and I told him to send me an invoice or let me know how to pay him. That was before Christmas, and I never heard a single thing back.

Some people just don't know how to run a business I guess. I know other people like this as well. Maybe they're very knowledgable or smart when it comes to a particular subject, but they have no idea how to run a business. This is type of situation where if you really want to run a business, you should hire an office manager or someone else to help you out so that things can run more efficiently.

Anyways, I'm just thinking out loud. I guess that knowing what you've gone through now, I'm glad he didn't take a deposit from me!

TJ Guru

I know who you're talking about. He had (or maybe still has) a factory khaki colored tailgate. He told me $250 shipped I believe it was, and I told him to send me an invoice or let me know how to pay him. That was before Christmas, and I never heard a single thing back.

Some people just don't know how to run a business I guess. I know other people like this as well. Maybe they're very knowledgable or smart when it comes to a particular subject, but they have no idea how to run a business. This is type of situation where if you really want to run a business, you should hire an office manager or someone else to help you out so that things can run more efficiently.

Anyways, I'm just thinking out loud. I guess that knowing what you've gone through now, I'm glad he didn't take a deposit from me!

Oh I'd be pleased to have it go to chargeback status. More than pleased in fact. I'd get a lot more traction if that happened than anything else. Realistically though, I'd just prefer that he do what he says, send my parts and do so in a timely manner. Timely being something a bit less than 2 weeks since he is less than a 100 miles away.

Administrator

Oh I'd be pleased to have it go to chargeback status. More than pleased in fact. I'd get a lot more traction if that happened than anything else. Realistically though, I'd just prefer that he do what he says, send my parts and do so in a timely manner. Timely being something a bit less than 2 weeks since he is less than a 100 miles away.

Being that he is less than 100 miles away, I'd have to agree, 2 weeks is ridiculous. Even with the holidays, I would have at least expected a tracking number within a week of paying him. And even that is being generous. Most businesses will ship same day or next day (assuming it's a business day), unless a part is backordered.

TJ Guru

Being that he is less than 100 miles away, I'd have to agree, 2 weeks is ridiculous. Even with the holidays, I would have at least expected a tracking number within a week of paying him. And even that is being generous. Most businesses will ship same day or next day (assuming it's a business day), unless a part is backordered.

TJ Addict

I ran into similar problems when searching for my new frame. I found a frame 2.5 hours from me on carpart.com listed as “20k miles like new”. Called the yard and was told they had it ready to go and I could get it today if I wanted. Drove 2.5 hours there only to find that they didn’t have a single clean frame (literally, not even a clean frame under a Jeep). And guess what, that ad is still up on carpart 4 months later. Guess it is just there to sucker people in.

Another problem I found is that everyone discribes their frames as rust free and straight. One guy in North Carolina tried to sell me a frame that was worse than the one I was replacing. Another guy in Georgia tried to sell me one that was visibly tweaked in the photos.

Hate to say it, but I found most of the yards I called were ran by idiots. Half the time when I asked if they had a frame they’d respond “Haha good luck” and hang up. The other half would try to sell me junk.

TJ Guru

I ran into similar problems when searching for my new frame. I found a frame 2.5 hours from me on carpart.com listed as “20k miles like new”. Called the yard and was told they had it ready to go and I could get it today if I wanted. Drove 2.5 hours there only to find that they didn’t have a single clean frame (literally, not even a clean frame under a Jeep). And guess what, that ad is still up on carpart 4 months later. Guess it is just there to sucker people in.

Another problem I found is that everyone discribes their frames as rust free and straight. One guy in North Carolina tried to sell me a frame that was worse than the one I was replacing. Another guy in Georgia tried to sell me one that was visibly tweaked in the photos.

Hate to say it, but I found most of the yards I called were ran by idiots. Half the time when I asked if they had a frame they’d respond “Haha good luck” and hang up. The other half would try to sell me junk.

TJ Addict

By boutique do you mean Jeep specific? I've found that Jeep specific yards are the only ones worth dealing with (even considering all the yards I mentioned above were Jeep specific). The regular salvage yards tend to not have the parts I'm looking for. And anyways, regular salvage yards don't usually know much. I had one guy tell me that the frame he was selling was rust free and ready to go besides one small hole near the rear control arm mount...

TJ Guru

By boutique do you mean Jeep specific? I've found that Jeep specific yards are the only ones worth dealing with (even considering all the yards I mentioned above were Jeep specific). The regular salvage yards tend to not have the parts I'm looking for. And anyways, regular salvage yards don't usually know much. I had one guy tell me that the frame he was selling was rust free and ready to go besides one small hole near the rear control arm mount...

I ended up buying my frame off a 3 man, TJ specific operation in Southern TN for $1000. They had some screaming deals on other TJ parts and were pretty easy to deal with. Though it sounds like the people you're dealing with may run a little differently...

TJ Enthusiast

Wow what an asshole. I recently purchased a pair of fog lights from someone through a craigslist ad and he said he would ship them within 2 days, yeah its been 2 months and he's coming up with all sorts of bs. The first week he said that there is a storm and its causing heavy delays in his area for shippers. Then he told me his grandmother died and he wouldn't be able to ship for a week, he is now telling me that he's cleaning them. Cleaning them from what? wind?

TJ Enthusiast

You probably already know about these guys, but I've had good luck dealing with J&W. It's a Jeep salvage yard in Sacramento. They've even let me wander through the yard to pull my own parts, which seems to be getting rare these days.

TJ Guru

You probably already know about these guys, but I've had good luck dealing with J&W. It's a Jeep salvage yard in Sacramento. They've even let me wander through the yard to pull my own parts, which seems to be getting rare these days.

TJ Addict

Amazing story. The one thing I love about the USA is how eager, capable, happy you guys are to make a sale.... and deliver. I go to conferences in the USA because there is always a "selling" seminar. This salvage guy is definitely an idiot.

TJ Guru

Amazing story. The one thing I love about the USA is how eager, capable, happy you guys are to make a sale.... and deliver. I go to conferences in the USA because there is always a "selling" seminar. This salvage guy is definitely an idiot.

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